Finally Free
by Phillip Hicks
Summary: Caloc's first time out of the Temple since the injury. He is now... in another Temple. On Devaron. So much for a vacation. When a mysterious signal comes from a remote village, Stass and Tia must investigate, and find something stranger than normal.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The mournful call of a large gallen bird echoed amongst the thick, swamp-soaked trees. A thick smog seemed to hover just above the mud as the squelching sound of boots slushing through water joined the bird's chorus. A clump of heavy, drooping leaves suddenly got pushed aside as a figure stomped doggedly through the marsh, lifting his legs to step out of the mud before taking his next step. Glancing left and right through the thick brush, he wrinkled his nose and sniffed. Kneeling near a rock, he studied the surface of the rough stone carefully. Not finding any trace of what he was looking for, his gaze swung up and scanned the surrounding shrubs and bushes. It stopped when a tuft of thick, black fur that had caught on a twig grabbed his eye. Squelching over to it, he wrestled the fur from the twig and held it up to his eyes. Another mark of his prey, he realised, tucking it into one of the pouches on his belt. He looked around again, wiping the thick layer of sweat from his brow. The humidity here alone was horrible, not to mention the thousands of bugs that hovered in the air.

"I thought Devaron was supposed to be lush, thick forest", Caloc muttered to himself, "not a hot, sticky, muddy swampland."

He set off again, continuing to scan his surroundings, being careful not to move too quickly through the sticky mud. Water had somehow found its way into his boots over the past couple of hours and was currently soaking into his socks, freezing his toes as water tended to do. Brushing a large slug from the shoulder of his orange robes, he reached up and grabbed onto one of the large, vine-like plants that snaked around the swamp-like jungle, aiming to pull himself up. It was a mistake. As he landed found a grip, it moved, and he had to let go to avoid one of the large, venomous lizard that ran around this area. A cloud of the tiny, winged insects surrounded him, trying to sneak a bite from the long, still-red scar that adorned his left cheek. They were probably the pest seani, a bloodsucking insect that migrated through the Devaron jungle. Shaking his head, he felt his thin padawan braid fly through their midst, scattering them. Carefully, he studied the soupy water below him. There! A single footprint. The mark of his prey.

He hurried over to it, suddenly sinking into knee-deep mud. The pawprint's claws were facing north, he noticed. The swamp water nearby was cloudy, showing a lot of recent movement. He couldn't see anything else at the moment, so he reached out with his senses instead. Slowly, things came into focus. He could see the water. The trees. The insects and reptiles. But these were all to small to be his prey. He needed to find something larger. A beep from his wrist distracted him, and he quickly grabbed the commlink clipped to his gauntlet.

"Having fun, Caloc?", asked the amused voice of his Master. The signal was weak and crackling with static, probably a result of the thick smog in the air, he surmised.

He rolled his eyes, glancing back at the massive tower in the distance, where he knew his Master would be standing, probably beside a group of other teachers as they watched the progress of their students. "Oh, yeah. Plenty of fun, Master."

Stass laughed loudly, "You sound frustrated. I thought you wanted to get out of the Temple for a day, get some fresh air."

"I wouldn't be out here if you hadn't lost him.", he growled at her while swatting another of the bugs.

"You make it sound as though I did it on purpose.", Stass sounded hurt. That most likely meant that she had let him out on purpose, just for some entertainment, "Think of this as a training exercise. You get to track something through one of the most chaotic ecosystems in the galaxy."

"Chaotic is right.", Caloc muttered, glancing down at his robes. Over the past three hours, he had sloshed through the soupy water, falling into submerged craters and slipping into a nest full of Devaronian eels. One wrong turn had even sent him swimming in a small whirlpool. It had been some of the hardest hours he had experienced in his short life. It showed too. His usually crinkled uniform was a wreck. Mud clung stubbornly to the orange cloth, soaking into the threads, and he could feel that the icy water had successfully soaked his boots now. They would all need to be thrown out after this training session, he knew. "This is one of the most conveniently difficult things you've ever had me do. You could have come to help!"

"He is your anooba, Caloc.", Stass retorted, "I told you to leave him back on Coruscant."

"He gets bored easily.", he replied, "Obviously, I just need to train him not to run off."

"Besides,", Stass laughed, "The task was to hunt for the flags around the swamp. Now you get something a bit more challenging. Isn't that thrillin…"

Stass' voice was cut short as he pulled the commlink from his arm, tossing it into the water and watching it sink below. The only thing that could distract him now was his own mind, he thought.

As if to remind him how wrong he was, his arm suddenly filled with pain. It quelled almost immediately, but the shot of agony had forced him to look down at the left appendage. Not even a year ago, he had been stabbed through the limb with a sharp sword. When it had been removed, it had torn out a piece of the bone with it, resulting in an experimental surgery that replaced the blood in the limb with a hyperactive, bioelectric fuel. The artificial heart that had been shoved through his arm glowed blue, and the thick glowing veins that now housed the blood crackled with bioelectricity. The sight was still… unfamiliar.

"That's what you get for not wearing sleeves, you dolt.", he muttered to himself. The pain had died down to a dull throb now, and he grabbed one of the mud-soaked vials he had hung from his arm. Doctor Nema had called them 'emergency bacta stimulators'. It was a new form of immediate treatment, meant to quell pain and induce immediate short-term healing. He went to stab it into his arm when he stopped. Something was watching him. Hunting him. He felt its hunger, its instincts. Slowly, he scanned the surrounding swamp. There! Movement off to his right. Instinctively, his head turned to carefully study where he had seen the motion. Nothing. Not even the flutter of a gallen bird's wings. But he knew he had felt something. It was still there. Watching him. Waiting for him. A twig snapped, and this time he saw a flash of black before it disappeared into the undergrowth. He smiled. Finally, his hunt was over. A manic grin on his face, he launched himself at his prey, aiming to grapple the rough anooba around the neck. Only to realise too late that it wasn't his anooba.

It was a dragonsnake.

Over twelve metres long, the dragonsnake was a swamp-loving serpentine with a sharp, bone-like jaw that was hard enough to crush a skull in a single bite. It usually lived in swamps and had a dappled skin to camouflage with the muddy water and greying foliage. Somehow, this dragonsnake's skin was charred and blackened, probably by a hunter's weapon. Caloc took a step back as the serpent reared up above him, preparing to strike. Swallowing quietly, he grabbed his weapon from his belt, igniting the sapphire blade. The roar from the snake's throat was deafening, and the stench was unbearable. It lunged at the tiny figure before it, thick saliva flying from its mouth. Caloc leapt above the attack, spinning through the air before he landed in the sticky mud, sliding through the watery undergrowth until he found purchase on a tree root. He looked up and spotted the dragonsnake sliding onto its belly, rapidly propelling itself through the water towards him. He tried to stand up on the slick surface but just made things worse. Instead of getting to his feet, he slipped and slammed headfirst into one of the massive vines above him, dropping his weapon. Dazed, he watched as it fell into the water, disappearing below the clouded surface. There was no time to find it now. The dragonsnake brushed past, tearing through the thick cloth glove that covered his left shoulder, revealing the red, puffy scar that surrounded his joint. Another jolt of pain shot through his shoulder as a bolt of electricity sparked from his arm, tearing at the skin and then healing just as quickly. The relentless snake reared up in front of him again, puzzled by the strange, dangerous light. Caloc just rolled his eyes at it, "Ugh, fine. Come on, get it over with."

The dragonsnake lunged, aiming to bite down on his arm. A metallic _clang _rang around the clearing.

The snake's fangs crunched into the metal that met its teeth, bending it ever so slightly. But the shield held firm.

"Ha!", Caloc laughed. He kept the shield (a gift from his sister) strapped to his belt. It was small, about the size of a dinner platter, but it was hard. Made from Menachi metal, often known as _prinx_, a close relative of _phrik_, it was practically indestructible, even resistant to lightsabres. "I bet you weren't expecting that!"

The snake let go of the shield, and a loud crunching rip was heard, and the dragon roared loudly. Caloc looked down at the shield, staring at the triangular piece of tooth jammed in it. He looked up at the snake, who was shaking it's head in pain. "Sorry?"

Uninterested in apologies, the dragon lunged forward, wrapping itself around his torso, trapping his legs and pinching his right arm to his side. It reared up above him, hissing loudly as saliva dripped from its toothy maw. Caloc frowned and stretched out his hand. The mud-stained hilt of his leather-bound lightsabre flew from the mud, but before he could reignite the blade, a blur of black and grey fur slammed into the dragonsnake's head. Together, the blur and the dragonsnake flew backwards through the swamp. Caloc stood, shocked at the messy kaleidoscope of shadowy black and murky brown thrashing in the mud before him. Shrugging off the surprise, he pressed the ignition switch of his weapon and watched the metre-long blade spat into existence, the mud cooking immediately. Running towards the two brawling beasts, he leapt onto one on the branches that clung stubbornly to the swamp's vines. Balancing precariously on the slippery surface, he brought his fingers to his lips and let go a piercing whistle. The shadowy black blur bounded away from the dragonsnake, and he leapt in to take its place. Grappling for a grip, he slammed his left hand into the leathery skin. The dragonsnake convulsed violently as thousands of volts of bioelectricity coursed through its body, and collapsed of the ground, smoking.

A loud panting came from nearby, and he looked up and shook his head at his friend, "Where on Devaron have you been, Budiku?"

Instead of answering, Budiku just gave him a lopsided grin and lolled his tongue out of the side of his mouth. Caloc chuckled slightly. There really was no way he could stay mad at the anooba when he looked like that. "Come on, you furball. We'd better get back to finding the other targets before the other padawans."

However, he was stopped by the mournful, yet distinguishable, call of the a callun horn calling him back to the Temple.

**Well, well. First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR.**

**Thanks to everyone who has read and supported my books. It was a pretty big year. **

**My first full novel, the start of the 'Lessons of the Jedi' series. And don't worry, there is more to come. I have already completed about sixteen chapters, and another five need editing to make sure they fit into the story (so it makes sense). And it will be a whopper. If Book 1 introduced _Tyrannus, _this one will introduce the mysterious Collective of Souls. Characters you can expect include: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Dooku, Kit Fisto, Bultar Swan, Ord Enisense, and even General Grievous.**

**But first, comes this series, _Finally Free_. This book will be taking place one full year after _Learning Curve_. It is the first time Caloc has been let out of the Temple since his accident, and it is a bit of an adventure into the new budding friendship between him and Lozzan. I know that a few people are thinking 'Ew a romance novel'. Fear not. As is evident in this first chapter, that is not so.**

**Thanks for reading, and please enjoy this short series, before the Storms of Arratak drops about May. (Hint Hint)**

**Enjoy your celebrations. I am resolving to bring great entertainment for the next year, and finally getting into the Clone Wars soon, I hope.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Stass smiled as she studied the muddy group of young Jedi stumbling towards her and the other Masters. Every Master was wearing their long brown cloak over their shoulders, hoods covering their heads as they studied the exhausted group walking towards them. Many of the padawans were hauling brightly coloured flags over their shoulders, the prizes they had found in the marsh. Those that weren't sported large, purple bruises and several dozen minor cuts scattered randomly across their skin. Finally, she spotted two figures emerge from the swamp, one a mud covered, shaggy haired furball, the other a tired, wet anooba. The Tholothian Jedi stood quietly on the Temple steps, next to the other Master's as they each waited for their apprentice to step forward before giving them a report on their performance.

There were fourteen pupils that had attended this years trial, as shown through the Force. The Council selected them depending on whom they decided was ready to progress to the next stage of their training. It was interesting to see how each Master treated their student.

Many smiled warmly and accepted the flags their pupils presented to them, or marched forward and gave their students seething reports about their many failings and mistakes. Much to her amusement, and the chagrin of the pupil, one or two began to fuss over their padawan as though they were still a youngling. Stass waited calmly until Caloc finally edged forward to stand beside her. She studied him critically. His robes were coated in mud and torn in several places, turning the usually warm orange cloth to almost black. His face was down, but she could see that his hair was similarly coated in the thick sludge and algae. The battered oval of metal on his arm showed a dozen dent and a massive hole, but the skin could have been worse. Still, whatever her padawan had done in the swampland, he had obviously run into some trouble. That concerned her a bit. She gave him a grin, disguising her worry, and he seemed to let out a relieved breath before nodding curtly in greeting.

"I see you found your target.", she gestured at the panting anooba beside him.

"Yeah, I did. Imagine my surprise when I find this attached to his neck.", he held out the black flag she had attached earlier.

She took it, "Imagine if someone else had found him first."

He smiled at that, then stepped forward and bowed low at the waist. "Thank you, Master. You gave me both a challenge and a reward. I should never have doubted you."

"You should never have destroyed your commlink, boy.", an aged voice interrupted them, and they turned to see Tera Sinube walking towards them. "But I can see why you did."

"Master Sinube…", Stass started, but stopped when the aging Cosian held up a wrinkled hand.

"You shouldn't have let him come here, Master Allie.", he pointed his staff at her, "Doctor Nema says that he still needs therapy to get used to limb again."

Stass bristled at that, "I have only just been allowed to return to training my padawan fulltime, Master Sinube. Before that, the Council had me galivanting across the galaxy on errands. My padawan has been trained by Kit Fisto, Aayla Secura and Master Yoda. He has been taught by Pong Krell and even by you. So, before you judge me, I will have you know that not only does the Council believe that my padawan deserves a chance to progress further, but so do I. I have watched Caloc whenever I had the chance to test him. I have searched his heart and his mind."

"Wait, you did?", Caloc asked.

She ignored him, "So when he comes back here looking worse for wear, Master Sinube, I don't feel concern of worry or fear for him. I feel pride. He obviously went somewhere far more dangerous than the others here, and therefore he is just as deserving if not more, of your recognition."

There was silence, interrupted only by the quiet hubbub of the other conversations around them. Sinube studied Stass for a moment before he spoke, "For the past twenty year I have been in charge of running this test, Master Allie. I have seen good pairings of Master and Padawan. I have see the worst. I was present when Master Yoda brought Dooku, and when Dooku brought Qui-Gon Jinn, and when Jinn brought Kenobi. Just recently I watched as Kenobi brought young Skywalker here. Yet I have never seen the Force pair any two individuals so uniquely different as two of you. You are a most unorthodox pairing for the Order."

"Thank you, Master Sinube.", Caloc stepped forward.

Sinube smiled at the boy, "You are most welcome Caloc. Be kind to your Master. You are both still getting over your wounds."

He walked away, and Stass let out a breath, "I was so worried he would reprimand me."

Caloc looked at her, "Who? Sinube? He's one of the kindest Jedi I know."

"And one of the most understanding.", she agreed, "He is the one who helped me smuggled Budiku from your room."

Caloc stopped for a moment. "So that was all acting?"

"Not entirely.", Stass answered. Before he could fire off another question, she asked, "What happen to your shield? I thought you said it could be useful."

"Hm?", Caloc held up the belt piece of metal. "Oh, right. Well, you know how you told me not to disturb the wildlife?", he asked. Stass nodded, and watched as he nervously bit his lip, "Well, I may have stumbled across a dragonsnake before I found Budiku."

"Of course you did. That kind of thing could only happen to you.", they stood in silence for a moment, before she grinned, "Now get in there and shower. You smell worse than a Shaak's behind."

He couldn't see the worry behind her eyes as she watched him wearily climb the stairs towards his dorm. He was obviously tired from the mornings exercise. There was a limp in his left leg, possibly an injured ankle. A sudden spark of energy sparked from his arm, and he flinched sideways, running into the door before he slipped into the Temple.

**How is it going, everyone? **

**Chapter 2 is out. I know that the Eddit Temple was only in the Clone Wars for less than an episode, but its always fascinated me. I'm glad to finally bring it back. **

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Caloc shook the water droplets from his hair and pressed the button to stop the hygiene rinse. Clambering out of the shower, he looked over at the bath where Budiku splashed happily about, spraying the water from his thick, black coat. He grabbed his towel from the ground, snatched a clean set of robes from the nearby stool and stepped out into his dorm. The dormitory was smaller than his quarters back at the Jedi's Courasaunt Temple, but was comfortable none the less. Tugging on his trousers, he lay back on the soft, thin mattress embedded in the floor, looking up at the dimly-lit marble mosaic ceiling. Upon their arrival on Devaron, each padawan had been given a temporary dormitory to live in for the two weeks that their training spanned. Each of the rooms were a cylindrical space with a built-in closet and sanitation area. The rooms were mostly bare, with just a small, ceremonial bench off to the side to hold a Jedi's lightsabre and other small belongings, and a single small window fit in the centre of the ceiling to let the light in. The feather-down mattress was embedded in the centre of the floor, suspended on springs. His satchel lay to the side of the mattress, small nuts, bolts and tools scattered around. He pulled his shield from the pile of muddy robes in the corner and studied the massive tooth embedded in the metal. The snake had to have been really trying to eat him for that to happen. A knock rang through the thick metallic door, the sound reverberating around the room. He groaned and looked at the circular entrance, not bothering to rise.

"Caloc?", came a soft voice, "You in there?"

"No, I am most certainly not.", he yelled back, "Come back tomorrow."

"You really think I'd fall for that?", the voice asked.

He let out a groan, "I'm not entirely decent at the moment. Can you wait."

The voice didn't answer, but he could tell that whoever they were, they hadn't left. They probably wouldn't leave until they spoke to him. Groaning softly, the padawan rolled off the bed and flipped onto his hands, cartwheeling over to the door. Pulling his undertunic around his chest, he fastened it with a thin strip of fabric and pressed the activation button on the panel beside the door. With a slight creak, the circular door slid open, revealing the angry face of Lozzan Karen, the deep frown scarring her normally soft features. She had replaced her own muddy clothes with a clean set of her usual blue robes. Her wet hair hung loosely around her shoulders and a single, long braid adorned with decorative gold beads, hung half unravelled over her shoulder; her padawan braid. She was tightly gripping her lightsabre, an interesting blend of blued metal, white ivory and hasian smelt, in her hand.

He smiled easily at the growling girl, "Hey Lozzan. What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering, she slammed her hand into his shoulder, forcefully pushing him back into his dorm and shutting the door shut behind her. Her voice came out as a harsh whisper, "Are you avoiding me?"

"Yes."

She moved away and released him, "Don't lie to me, I know that you are avoiding me."

"That is true.", Caloc reached up and grabbed the indents in the ceiling, pulling himself up and locking his feet in the gaps.

"You had better tell me the truth.", Lozzan shook her heads, "The whole truth."

Bending upwards, Caloc began to do a series of exercises, "Well, it all started when I was a boy. I was always very lonely, with only the company of my…"

"I don't want lies.", Lozzan spun, then blinked, as if realising what she had been hearing for the last minute or so, "Have you been telling me the truth this entire time?"

"Yep.", reaching out, Caloc grabbed one of the nearby bottles of water he kept stored near his bed and brought it to his lips. "I have been telling you that I am indeed avoiding you."

Lozzan stared at him for a minute as he took a swig, "Do you want to tell me why?"

He lowered the bottle to the floor and flipped down as well, "I was in the emergency isolation suite for three months. You never visited. I was under surveillance for another four and then I was training with Aayla and Kit for the other five months. Where were you in all that time?"

A growl interrupted them from the corner, and they turned to see Budiku hobble out of the sanitary, gnawing at one of Caloc's muddied boots. Lozzan raised an eyebrow, "Is your dog eating your shoes?"

"He needed to plaything.", Caloc answered.

Lozzan rolled her eyes and threw herself down onto the mattress, lying spread out on the mattress. Her nose crinkled up, "This thing smells like boy. I've been busy. We were on Alderaan, Nevro, Sullust, Yassel, Lothal. We even went to Yont for a week. Master Sil'o'can made it a point to return to the Temple as little as possible."

Caloc pulled one of the tools from his satchel to his hand, studying the texture of the handle. "Was there a specific reason why?"

Lozzan rolled over and rifled through the satchel. "What is all this?"

"The things necessary to maintain my sanity during my isolation.", Caloc spun around and slapped her hand away from the satchel, "Now answer my question."

"Shall we play a game?", Lozzan asked, pushing herself up to rest on her elbows. "I will only answer the question if you allow us to play one of the games we used to play."

Caloc stared at her for a minute, "Which one?"

Lozzan stood up and moved to the door, stopping and flipping her hair over her shoulder to look at him, "Give me twenty minutes and meet me in the training room under the Temple. No one here has been able to best me in a duel so far, and I want a challenge."

And with that, she left.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A light rain pattered against the glass of the corridor, falling like tears against the domed roof. The vibrant flashes of light outside were echoed inside. The two yellow convor's fluttered over to the slight cover under the roof's overhang and gazed through the glass, staring at the two sapphire shards of light spinning in the chamber below. One glanced at the other, it's green eyes staring with a hidden message. The other nodded, then they stared back at the two lights.

Lozzan grunted as she blocked Caloc's humming, blue blade with her own. Sparks flew across the rooms, landing in the soft sand underfoot. Pushing her opponent's blade away, she kicked out and felt her foot connect with his stomach. She pushed out violently with the Force, channelling it into a powerful shove away from her. A loud crash echoed through the chamber as he crashed into the far wall. The thick concrete cracked under the force of the blow, and she stopped, waiting for him to rise again. A groan came from the crumpled form, and she watched as Caloc wiped the thin trail of blood from his mouth.

He grinned at her, running his tongue across his teeth. "Good hit."

"Thanks.", she smiled back, "I guess I owed you one."

"Guess so.", he grin widened. His blue blade hummed to life again, and he spun it at her, "The feeling's mutual, trust me."

The blades clashed together, sparks sent flying across the room.

"Have you been studying the materials Master Tungus gave us?", Lozzan asked.

Caloc knelt and swept his leg around. "The one on Force Sculpting? I gave it a cursory glance. The question is, why are you asking?"

"I was wondering if you've put it into practice yet."

"Kinda.", he frowned, almost missing a forehand strike aimed at his left, "I guess that I'm more interested in the book that Master Jocasta gave me the other day."

"What day was that, exactly?", she chuckled, "I didn't think you'd be caught dead in the archives."

The blades danced apart again, before coming together again. "It wasn't exactly by choice, Lozzan. There isn't much to do on Coruscant when your lightsaber is taken from you though. She said that she saw potential in me. Got me curious to see what she meant."

"Did you find out?", Lozzan asked, making a grab for her opponent's hand.

"There is a book about the Tyrants Hand.", Caloc answered, "Was there a reason that Tia didn't want you to come back, Lozzan?"

Lozzan flipped back to avoid a Force Push, "There is always a reason. He felt that the Force was leading him away from the Temple."

"Hmm.", Caloc sniffed, "I guess that both he and Stass felt the same way. Have you ever heard of the Shatterpoint technique?"

"Is this at all related to the conversation.", she groaned as his lightsabre punched into hers again, "Doesn't that tap into the dark side?"

"Theoretically.", he grunted as she leapt up, flipping over him so that her blade danced above his head. He ducked the decapitation blow and spun his leg out to interrupt her landing. "I'm learning about it in that book I was talking about. Every Jedi learns how to use the technique. Just not to the extent described in this book. I don't know though. I mean, it's pretty impressive what they can do."

A bead of sweat was winding its way through the folds of Lozzan's fringe as she frowned, "We all learn it? When?"

"Do you remember the training lesson we did with Master Sifo Dyas, all those years ago?", Caloc asked. His twisted to the left and dodged another swipe of the girl's blade. "The one with the two glass panes?"

A push with the Force sent Lozzan stumbling back, until she rolled forward and landed back on her feet. "Ow."

Caloc shrugged, "Sorry."

"I remember the lesson that you are talking about.", Lozzan got up, rubbing her back, "Sifo had to leave early and we got put with Master Deke. I seem to recall little Hurras being particularly bad at it. Deke sent him to the archives after he couldn't break the panes with one stroke."

Caloc chuckled, "The same thing happened with Ahsoka."

Something in his tone made her look up. "How'd you do?"

"Well, Master Dyas told me that I was a bit… irregular, after I shattered both panes with just my hands.", he shrugged, "I got lucky."

Lozzan raised an eyebrow. If Caloc wasn't exaggerating, or even if he was, it was still impressive. Thinking back to the exercise, she frowned. Sifo Dyas had set up two panes of glass, one was a centimetre thick, the other three centimetres. Sifo had demonstrated first, igniting his blade. A single stroke of the blue light and the crystal-like glass of the thicker pane had shattered. He had then tried to show the younglings how to use the Force to guide their blades and shatter the glass on the thinner one. If Caloc had been able to shatter them with just his hands that meant that he could see the weakest points in the material using the Force. But that was a different matter, not to bring up now. "What did the book say?"

"The Tyrants Hand were trying to take out their rival syndicates.", Caloc pulled his satchel to his hand, pulling out a holobook. "A Jedi by the name of Lucien Draay was dispatched to protect the bystander and stop the hostile takeover.

"He went to the planet Eia, where he found that the syndicates had been taking children and placing them in a space station above the planet. After stopping the planet's public from fighting, he went up to this station and managed to free the slaves. Ten minutes later, the station was shattered with the Force, killing Draay in the process. His padawan, a man called Zynass, was expelled from the Order after claiming that his Master destroyed the entire station with a single force push."

"He found the shatterpoint?", Lozzan tipped her canteen back.

Caloc shrugged, "Supposedly. It is an… incomplete study."

She frowned at him again, before grabbing her towel and dabbing her forehead with it. "You really know how to wear a girl out. What do you normally do to calm down after a workout?"

Caloc chuckled, "Come with me, you'll love this."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The two slabs of meat sizzled and popped, sending the aromatic scent spiralling into the damp air. Lozzan raised her head and peered out of the hanger into the thick rain, watching the lightning arc rhythmically through the air before bending towards the ground. The screech of a convor sounded nearby and she watched two of the avian creature's huddle under one of the nearby shuttles, trying to avoid the downpour. A loud crackle came from behind her and she glanced back at Caloc, who had his head buried under the hood of an airspeeder. She smiled, "So, you can cook?"

He glanced up at her, "Yep. I don't normally do it with an audience though."

"Do you normally cook it on the engine of an airspeeder?", she smirked. It was the first time she had ever heard of this cooking technique.

Caloc snorted, flipping one of the steaks. "It gives it a bit more of a taste."

"Of what?", she asked, "Poison?"

"More like a greasy charcoal taste.", he chuckled, "I'm kidding. It's just something… different."

"Can't wait.", she chuckled.

A loud cough interrupted them, "You're going to have to."

Both padawan's turned, guilty expressions on their faces. Caloc was the first to speak, a façade of calm masking his previous expression. "Master Allie. Master Sil'o'can.", he grinned, "What can I do for you both?"

Master Sil'o'can's face was impassive, but he was staring at the speeder, "Are you… cooking on an open speeder engine?"

Caloc shrugged, "I would be cooking on my starfighter's engine, but it's currently out in the rain."

"Why not just use the kitchen?", Stass asked, hiding a smirk behind an extremely fake frown.

"Dinner just finished.", Lozzan grinned, knowing Caloc had begun cooking well before the meal had been over, "The kitchen was closed. Seems that we missed the meal."

"Where did you get the meat from?", Tia asked, "And why did you miss dinner?"

"I can answer the second question first, Master Sil'o'can.", Caloc grinned, "We were busy practicing our duelling techniques and missed dinner. Luckily, I have a friend in the Ellos Village nearby. He caught a Nuet earlier and gave us some of the spoils. Now it my turn to ask a question: why are you here, exactly?"

"Scribeswoman Ta senses a disturbance in a village across the planet.", Tia answered gruffly, his eyes narrowing, "We are being sent to investigate. Get your things together, we leave at once!"

* * *

Caloc looked up at the two Masters arguing in front of the shuttle. He was leaning against his starfighter, waiting for Lozzan to arrive, his black-furred anooba at his feet. The dark green astromech beside him rolled his dome around to face him, bleeping in question.

Caloc smiled down at the little droid, "Well I guess that 'leaving at once' means something very different to Master Sil'o'can."

The droid rapidly beeped at that, it's version of chuckling.

The padawan grinned at that, then looked over at the shuttle and the two Jedi Knights arguing near it. "I wonder what they are arguing about."

The droid beeped again, this time quieter.

"Oh, so they are trying to determine what the villages' problem might be.", he frowned, before flicking on the holoprojector from his belt, "Where exactly is this village, Deesix?"

Deesix spun his dome and pointed with one of his probes.

Caloc frowned at the area. "How long do you think it would take me to get there in the Ruping?"

The droid beeped again.

"Don't even think about it, Caloc.", Lozzan interrupted, grabbing his ear and dragging him behind her. It was no wonder that she had been taking so long. She had replaced her training robes with a set made of waterproof leather. She had a long strip of cloth wrapped around her hair to protect her from the rain, and her hood covered the rest of her head. Her braid, however, dangled outside of the thick cloth, draped over her shoulder. She pulled him into the shuttle and sat him down into the chair.

"Well, you're late.", he muttered.

Lozzan removed her hood, shaking the few water droplets that had snuck beneath the cloth from her hair bun. "I see that our Master's are still arguing."

He glanced down at the droid who had followed him, "Probably about the same thing. They just can't agree on anything."

"It's probably because of their different Master's.", Lozzan chuckled. "Tress and Susa couldn't be more different."

Caloc had to agree. He may never had met Tress, but he had met Susa. The sound of a heated argument could still be heard from outside. "I'm thinking that this mission would go faster if we went by ourselves."

"Don't be ridiculous, Caloc.", Lozzan chuckled, "If we don't take them, they will keep us locked up on Coruscant for the next three years."

**Hello again, **

**So I imagine that you have questions. Firstly, yes. The Eedit Temple does have a hanger and an airfield. Secondly, I have introduced Susa as Master Sil'o'can's Master. I will probably elaborate on her a bit more later, but for now just be content with another Jedi being added to the mix. **

**The next chapter gives us a bit more of an elaborate look into the Devaron people and their planet as a whole. Hope you enjoy, please review with anything you want to know or discuss.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The shuttle dipped near the low trees, skimming across the tops of the thick forest. Outside of the swamp, where the Temple of Eedit stood proudly above the trees, there was a completely different terrain from the water-soaked ground that surrounded the sacred grounds. Hexagonal plated highways still crisscrossed the forest, but the trees here were greener, lusher, and far thicker. Stass stared out the cockpit at the greenery, slightly stunned by the natural contrast of the environment of the planet. Looking back at the adjoining seats, she saw that both Caloc and Lozzan were enamoured by the nature below.

"Your padawan is reckless."

She rolled her eyes at the stoic Chagrian piloting. "Why do you continue to bring this up. He can probably hear you."

"She's right, I can!", a voice yelled from the rear seats.

Tia rolled his eyes. "Then perhaps you can tell me why you took meat from one of the local villages, young padawan."

"They use the best spices.", Caloc leaned back in his chair. It was true. The Devaron populace's most frequent export was their famous spices, found deep in the Forgotten Lands. The spices were used in many famous dishes on the wealthier worlds in the galaxy, lavishing the rich and famous' tastebuds.

Tia spun in his chair, forcing Stass to grab the controls to stop them from crashing. He glowered at the boy, "Do not be foolish. You know that the Jedi are not supposed to grow attachments to anything. We are to live apart from the galaxy; to protect it from the darker parts of people and to keep the peace on every world. How can you do that if you go frolicking about in the local villages instead of being present at the Temple? How will you become better? How will you learn our ways?"

Caloc stared at the looming figure before him for a moment, before reaching into his satchel and grabbing a foil-wrapped parcel. He passed it to Lozzan, who cautiously took it. He found another and handed it to Tia. "I am sorry that you see it that way, Master Sil'o'can. You think that we can adequately protect the galaxy, but how can we protect them when we do not understand the people or places that we visit?"

Tia looked at the foil wrapped package. It was warm, and there was a slight aromatic smell coming from it. Gingerly, he unwrapped the foil and was rewarded by a delicious smell. A meat-filled bread roll, local leafy greens and other vegetables stuffed inside. Cautiously, he took a bite, and was rewarded with an explosion of flavour. But then he realised, this had to be a distraction. Shaking his head to focus, he stared at the boy, "Why should we understand them? We are Jedi. The Force will guide us."

Caloc lay back, sinking into the padded leather of the chair, "I completely agree with you."

Stass chuckled lightly. This was exactly where she would unravel a conversation or disagreement. Clearly, she was teaching Caloc more than she thought she was.

Her padawan continued, "The Jedi will be guided by the Force. But the Force is in all living things, is it not?"

Tia was currently taking another bite of the delicious bready treat Caloc had given him, but he stopped long enough to say, "If iffs."

Taking that as a positive response, Caloc continued, "So if the Force shall guide us, and the Force is in all living things, then perhaps to understand the galaxy is the understand the Force, and therefore be able to better protect the galaxy and its occupants that we protect."

Tia reluctantly nodded, "I may be starting to understand your point."

A strangled laugh escaped Stass' throat as she covered a grin. She had never heard Tia concede a point before in her life. Caloc was seriously pouring it on, but now might be the time for her to join in. "So, what do you know of this area of the planet that we are going to?"

Both men turned to look at her, "What?"

"Caloc is saying that he will learn about the area by integrating into the civilisations.", she turned to look at them, "But Tia thinks that the Force will be his guide. So, which of you can tell me about this village we are visiting?"

A quiet laugh came from Lozzan's seat. "I'm guessing that it won't be Caloc, since he doesn't know the name of the village. And Tia hasn't been out of the meeting hall all day."

Stass smiled. While they had gotten off to a rocky start, she and Lozzan had gradually bonded, and she was almost sorry that she hadn't picked her as an apprentice. The girl was both witty and strong-willed, and the Tholothian suspected that she was growing from her ridged demeanour, "Lozzan is right. We are going to Taal. I hope you are ready for…"

"Taal?", Caloc interrupted, "Seriously? That is amazing."

"What is so special about Taal?", Tia asked.

Taal was a sizable village based on the edge of the Helox valley, that led to the Forgotten Lands. The village was made up of mostly farmers and their families, though a small portion of the locals would gather monthly to collaborate as a central council and discuss the villages needs. The village brought in most of the spice plants, and so there was a designated trainline that ran from the processing plant on the equator to Taal. The locals hired anyone who needed money to harvest the fruit, if they could survive.

The Forgotten Lands were as formidable as they came. Settled underneath the surface, they were to hundreds of cave systems that ran through the planet core. This close to the core, there was surprisingly life. Massive crawler worms, known as _Trakulis Oralis_, buried through the soil in search for food. Many a harvester had fallen prey to these humongous beasts. Smaller, yet just as deadly arachnids, known to the locals as the _Radd_ crawlers, would patrol the caverns ceilings, waiting to drop down and snatch up the tiny buys who called the cavern's home. The real treasure of the caverns lay not in the creatures, though those were admittedly very rare, tasty, and fetched a high price from the Hutt Cartel. No, the truly valuable stuff lay just below the surface. Two types of plants were used in the creation of Devaron spices. The first grew on the root systems of the larger Renn Pines. It was a bulbous bounty, called a Renn fruit. It had a creamy white skin that could be smoked while the inside was full of tiny seeds. When these two were ground up and mixed together, they formed a spicy, arid taste that would excite even an Ovissian. The next was a byproduct of the _Radd_. When the Radd would weave their nests, they would leave behind a few chunk pieces of earth behind. These earth crusts were stuck together with a mixture of spider saliva and mud. Over time, this mixture grew a moss that was then harvested. Overall, it was usually best not to think about where Devaron spices came from.

But what was it that made Taal so special to a Jedi? There was a vein of kyber that ran through the Forgotten Lands, lesser known about than the planet Ilum, and that planet's location was kept mostly to the Jedi archives. It was rumoured that this kyber vein was where Oppo Rancisis had received his crystal during his apprenticeship.

As the village came into view, Stass reached up and swung the ship's large, semi-circular wing around to its landing position. The landing gear thudded into the dusty ground, and her hands flew across the controls as the engines shut down, placing the ship gently in a clearing.

Turning to her companions, two of who were licking their fingers of the last remnants of their bready rolls, she gestured to the door. "Well, let's go and see what is going on here."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jaz Chappa was the foreman for one of the largest sections of subterranean spice cultivating facilities in the region. He wasn't a native to Devaron, but the local males accepted him because of the amount of them he employed. Usually, it helped the men's moral if he was down in the tunnels harvesting with them, but on this day, he had to work on the paperwork. Hundred if not thousands of requests for spice had come in from the Trade Federation, and to be honest, Taal was running behind on their schedule. A quiet knock on the door forced him to tear his eyes away from the pages scattered across the glossy hardwood surface.

"Come in.", he called.

The door slid open to reveal Hessa, one of his aids. She was a local female, and unlike the males, who were bulkier and tougher, she was lithe and athletically flexible. Her long, dark hair was pulled back behind her head, secured by a strip of bright blue cloth; and her fringe was secured by her ears, revealing the small vestigial lumps on her forehead. Her purple eyes flickered between him and window. She tugged nervously at the thin jacket she wore, and he stared at the numerous bejewelled rings she wore on her fingers. Normally, Jaz would share some kind words with the tall female. Today, however, he was tired, cranky, and needed to get back to work so he could be farming the next day.

"What is it?", the Kalleran barked out.

Hessa stood straighter, drawing up at his tone. "There is a ship here. I thought you should know."

Jaz sighed, "Sorry, Hessa. I am just a bit overwhelmed with this.", he gestured at the piles of datapads and sheets of paper, "Of all the days for a ship to arrive."

"You do not have to go.", he felt her place a calming hand against the smooth skin of his forehead.

"No, I do.", he stood up out of his chair, "All of the other foremen are down in the Forgotten Lands today. I am the highest ranking official here, and it is my job to protect us."

* * *

Caloc glanced around the village. They had landed the ship in a nearby flat area, and decided to hike into the village on foot. Budiku leapt ahead, as usual, exploring the thick forest, and he had been forced to follow his pet's wandering path. Lozzan jogged beside him as they neared the decorative entrance, a large wooden structure that loomed above them, carvings of animals staring down at them. He leant against the thick post, studying the empty ground before them.

"This place is deserted.", he muttered. Lozzan looked over quizzically, and he elaborated, "I haven't seen anyone but women and children, and they seem to be staying indoors for now. I understand that most of the men are harvesting during the day, but surely, they would leave some security. If I were a pirate, then I'd probably try to rob this place right now."

"You would have to be very cunning to get here unannounced then.", a voice interrupted, and the two padawans turned to see a tall Kalleran walking towards them, a tall staff held in his hands. He studied them for a moment. "Who are you?"

"We are Jedi padawans.", Lozzan answered.

The Kalleran frowned at that. He had of course heard that there were Jedi on the planet; the farming community was a small one, after all. Sometimes the occasional Jedi would come to seek out the kyber vein. But there had never been a Jedi come here unannounced before. "Just padawans?", he asked, "Where are your Masters?"

"Back there.", Caloc pointed over his shoulder, then over at the puffing Anooba laying a few feet away. As expected, Budiku was now exhausted and would probably spend the rest of the afternoon sleepy, "I ran ahead to keep him behaved."

The man's eyes narrowed for a moment, then settled as he came to a decision. "Come. Let us wait for your Master's over there in the shade. It is rare for Jedi to come here at all, so why don't you tell us why you have come without warning."

* * *

Stass and Tia had been hiking along the rough path for the past twenty minutes, not really speaking, nor enjoying the other's quiet company for very long. The birds cawed in the distance, and a creek babbled cheerfully nearby; but the humidity was thick, and there were seani biting at their limbs. It was understandably frustrating. Finally, Stass had enough.

"I've never heard you concede a point before.", she spoke up.

Tia regarded her for a few moments, "Your padawan has clearly had instruction from someone other than you. He is quite the negotiator."

"I'm good at negotiating!", Stass argued, throwing her arms into the air. She was known for being one of the most persuasive Jedi in the Order, in her opinion.

"You are good at persuasion.", he countered. "You can be diplomatic when need be, but you are normally a bit less… cautious, then Caloc was being today."

A loud _SMACK _echoed around the trees as Stass tried to slap one of the seani trying to eat her. She glared at him, "Surely you know that Caloc has been recuperating for the past few months."

"It has almost been a year Stass.", he interrupted. "When are you going to let him train under you again."

"He has been training!", her eyebrows raised in shock of his accusation, "Both Master Fisto and Aayla Secura have been duelling with him, Oppo Rancisis and Tutso Mara have been going through his studies, and I've had the mechanics running through basic engineering with him. Plus, I've been sent on more missions than ever. Do you think I like being away from him all the time?"

"I do not.", the Chagrain stopped as one of his horns sliced through a vine dangling too low. "But I think that you are worried about him getting injured once more."

"Of course, I worry about that.", Stass growled into the air, "He is a gifted student. He is good with a lightsaber, he is kind and generous and is fantastic with any weapon you place in his hands. But he lacks focus through the Force. I cannot take a student out into that galaxy when he can't sense danger nearby."

Tia studied her for a minute, "As I said, it has almost been a full year. I kept watch on Caloc during his youngling training, and to compare that boy to the one I see standing before me today is near impossible. But I saw the most growth when he went on that mission with you to Menach."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He grinned at her, "Are you worried now? Your padawan is ahead of us, out of sight. Perhaps he is hurt or killed. Perhaps not. Learn to trust him again, Stass. Learn to trust in the Force."

"I don't know if I can.", Stass looked away. It was harder to admit that than she thought.

"Then let this mission be the first test to see if you are able.", Tia answered.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"A disturbance?", Jaz mused as he poured a glass of water. "I did not know if a Jedi would sense the disturbance below."

Caloc leaned forward, swirling the liquid in his own glass around in a lazy circle. "What disturbance? What is happening here?"

"It must be something big for one of our scribes to send us.", Lozzan frowned from where she sat on one of the wicker chairs.

Jaz stared at them. These two were young. He could see that. For some reason, they both had long braids hanging over their shoulders, and they wore a small insignia on their belts, one he didn't recognise. As he had previously noticed, they were obviously padawans. However, they seemed confident in themselves, which was enough for him.

"The locals have been farming these lands for decades.", he began, gesturing to the massive plots behind him, "We used to just be harvesters, but now we have fields of nysillin, shadowpaw, groot, even villi. The men still work the mines, but we have droids who mind those fields. We have been fine for months. We have more business than ever, and we just uncovered a new section of caverns. But now the harvesters are being attacked by the fauna. The Radd are hunting us, and the council has been forced to send our local security down to protect the workers."

"Is it only the Radd?", Caloc asked.

Jaz shook his head, "No. The crawler worms have gotten more aggressive as well. They bore out tunnels close to those that already exist in hopes of a cave in. We have lost twenty of my clearers that way."

"Clearers?", Lozzan raised her hand, "What are they?"

"Clearer's scout ahead of the main party to search for webs, rocks or minerals.", Jaz took a deep draught from his glass, "If there are any precious minerals, we need to remove them. Normally we sell them to the Hutts."

Caloc rubbed his fingers over his forehead, tapping the ridge of his nose in thought. Something didn't add up. "How long have these attacks been happening?"

"About two weeks now. Why do you…"

A loud wailing cry filled the air, like the sound of an air siren or a gallen bird with the flu. Both padawan's leapt to their feet, weapons materializing in their hands, thus far left unignited. Lozzan turned to Jaz. "What was that?"

The Kalleran stared at her with fear in his eyes. "I don't understand. They never come this close to the surface."

"That was a worm?", Caloc asked. He had never heard anything like it before.

Jaz nodded. "We hear them in the tunnels all the time. But never are they able to be heard up here."

The cry silenced as suddenly as it had arrived, and Caloc realised his commlink was blinking rapidly at him. He snatched it from his belt and brought it to his lips. "Yes?"

"Caloc!", His Master asked, her voice crackling over the comms. "Are you alright? We felt a tremor."

"We are fine, Master.", he answered, "But if I were you, I'd hurry up and get here. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

There were legends on Menach of the times before the fire. Of when the planet was lush and full of life. Of a time before the great _Terattyki, _a great Sith war beast who was responsible for the current state of the planet. It was said that her handler, the Sith known as Darth Slaith, had released her on the populace, and the resulting battle had split the word, forcing the magma to seep onto the surface. The trees had withered, and the water steamed, until the almost inhospitable landscape remained.

Caloc had held onto that legend throughout his training, using it as motivation to keep moving, to avenge his planet, to stop the Sith from returning. But now, as he stared at the image before him, he felt only a deep pit in his stomach. Before him was the only recorded image of a crawler worm. It was blurred, dust and dirt clouding the image. All that could be seen was a row of pointed teeth, and a thick hide. It was a monstrous creature that was far larger than any he had faced before.

"What of the Radd?", Tia asked. He was standing near the window, surveying the village around them. It was four hours since the crawlers attack, and the Jedi had regrouped in one of the spare buildings to review what Jaz had told them. The town had an unfortunate number of empty houses at the moment.

"The Radd are getting far more aggravated than usual, Master.", Lozzan answered. "There are many harvesters disappearing."

Stass had her own personal holocron out now, a map hovering around the ancient device. "Can you see the pattern, my padawan?"

Tia turned to glare at her, "Pattern? What pattern? This is an attack!"

Caloc ignored the Chagrian's outburst and leant to study the map the Devaronian harvesters had drawn up for them upon their return from the Forgotten Lands. The caves were definitely numerous. The harvesting grounds expanded across more than a dozen different caverns. The attack zones were circled in green. The padawan's eyes narrowed as he studied the green scratches.

"They seem to be all in the newest section of caves.", he traced the lines carefully, then tapped in the centre of the attacks, "But not here. They seem to be stopping the workers from proceeding to this area."

"Agreed.", Stass answered. "So that is where we must go."

"Very well.", Tia studied the map. "So, we leave for the Forgotten Lands tomorrow."

* * *

**Sorry for being so quiet these paste few weeks. The good news is that I have almost completed this short story. Only a few more chapter to go. Hope you enjoy. Next week gets real crazy.**

**Sincerely, **

**Phil**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The hike was rough. The path was made of pebbles, loose and shabbily. It was nearly impossible to keep a firm footing on the path, and each Jedi had been given a long thick stick to help them keep their balance. They had awoken early to meet with their guide, a young boy who used the path often to deliver one of the crews their lunch. He moved quicker than the Jedi, leaping from rock to rock with the nimbleness of a chuppa goat. The Jedi, although they had trained their entire life to be agile and nimble, had struggled with the path, leaping over the small streams and crumbling soil until they arrived here: at the entrance to the Forbidden Lands. The gateway was a massive structure, ancient stone columns surrounding the dark entrance. The stone was covered in the green moss that seemed to crawl in the morning light.

"What's inside?", Caloc asked their guide.

The boy shrugged, "Iss monguli toppa, sir."

Stass grabbed her padawan's shoulder and gave a half-hearted grin. "He doesn't know. He has never travelled further than this. It is forbidden for anyone but the harvesters."

Caloc nodded and pulled out the map he had drawn up. The entrance to the Forgotten Lands was not the entrance to the farms. They would travel through a large cavern before they reached the farm entrance. There was something he had just scribbled down on the page, and he pointed at it now, "What is this here?"

Tia looked to where he was pointing, "The general theory is that this is the site of the first village of Devaronians. That they crawled out from underground years ago. We are about to step into a massive archaeological find. Try not to destroy it."

"Come on.", Lozzan yelled as she started to enter the caves. Budiku was right beside her, his nose sniffing eagerly at the new scents. The anooba was a hunter, and already Budiku could sense there was something to be hunted.

"Can't you tell that beast what to do?", Tia growled.

Caloc grinned, "Of course I can. But he never listens."

The Chagrian shook his head. "Something he has in common with he Master, apparently. Where are we going, exactly?"

Stass pointed with her walking cane, "That way, apparently."

The team of Jedi entered the caverns, cautiously placing their feet. Stass reached out with the Force, feeling the tunnel ahead. Her senses reached before her, scanning the air for any lifeforms or vibrational disturbances. Tia noticed what she was doing, and stretched out his hand as well.

"Padawans, we need you to watch for loose gravel.", he gestured to the shabbly ground around them, "Keep us walking safe."

A loud growl rumbled up Budiku's throat as he played with a dead Rann corpse he had found. Caloc watched as the anooba left his plaything and scouted ahead. The path was now firmer stone, like hand carved slabs. The light slowly faded, and he grabbed a torch from his belt, shining the light around him. The air was warm here. He could feel it against his skin. The beam of light swept across the stones, until it rested on an ancient stone structure. It looked like it was made from obsidian, formed into five large arches that led towards a thin crack in the wall. Red lines were etched through the black rock, and imprinted in the top of the arches were three different stone figurines, each sporting a mask. About seventy metres to the left of this incredible masterpiece was a massive drilled out tunnel that the farmers used to enter the spice grounds.

"That is old Sith architecture.", Tia frowned, "I wonder why it is here near the Kyber vein."

"An interesting development.", Stass frowned. She turned to the two padawans, "Tia and I will continue to hunt these creatures and find out what is disturbing them. You two investigate this. Keep us updated."

"Understood, Master." Caloc nodded. Even he could understand the serious tone in his master's voice meant there was something more sinister to this find. He clicked his fingers twice, and Budiku's ears perked up, moving to sit next to his owner.

Tia frowned at him, "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"Because he is still in training.", Caloc shrugged. Budiku could understand basic commands, but his patience was still untempered. The Anooba was a great hunter, tracker and fighter, but they were also beasts of habit. It took time to properly temper their instincts. Also, it was too much fun to annoy the Chagrian.

"Very well.", Stass nodded. The Tholothian and Chagrian turned and marched towards the entry tunnel.

"Do you think they will find anything?", Tia asked.

Stass frowned, "I honestly don't know. But I hope that they don't."

Caloc ran his hand across the old tongue text engraved on the arches. "Can you read this?"

Lozzan shook her head. "You know as well as I do they don't teach the old tongue at the Temple. That is a third-year subject. We can't read any of this."

"I know.", Caloc nodded at the large crack in the rock. "Guess we go through there."

"Any idea what we will find?", she asked.

"You know I don't."

Lozzan grinned, clipping her own torch to her belt. "Sounds like fun. Shall we?"

Stass ran her hands along the tunnel edges. The stone was smoother than she expended from any drilling machine. It seemed to be burned through, a feat most people would claim to be impossible. Unless its by acid, she concluded. The miners must be using the tunnels used by the worms. A symbiotic relation. Tia was marching ahead, using the thick hiking pole he had been using down the path to swipe away any of the nearby webs that shivered in the slight breeze that made its way down here. However, that air was getting thin.

"Better get that equipment on.", she called to him, reaching into her pack. The harvester's had given them a set of oxygen masks that they used. She carefully fitted the mask over her head, clipping the oxygen tank to her belt. Apparently, the oxygen almost entirely vanished this far down, replaced by the underground gasses that seeped up from the core.

Tia finished fitting his mask in place and nodded further down the tunnel. "If the map is correct, then we need to hike for another thirty minutes before we get even close to the trouble area. The newest tunnels where the attacks have been are about halfway in."

"Good.", Stass nodded. Her hand brushed her lightsaber hilt gently, reassuring her. "Let's get going."

The space was more cramped than Lozzan had first imagines. While it was possible to squeeze through the crack in the wall, it required dexterity only achievable because of her Jedi training. After about five minutes of squeezing through, she entered a small chamber, about ten meters wide, an air chamber for the entire tunnel system. About a dozen separate tunnels disappeared in the floor, carrying the oxygen to different areas of the caves. Two smaller holes in the wall seemed to lead deeper into the system. Above, she could see daylight… barely. A series of loud grunts echoed from behind her and she turned to see Caloc crawling out of the crack, Budiku not far behind him. She gave him a small smile, before turning back to study the stonework. This particular chamber was hand-crafted, she could see. The walls were engraved with the Old Tongue again.

"Here.", Caloc handed her a canteen. "Keep your strength up."

"What are you doing?", she asked.

He ignored her, stripping off the glove from his arm. The electrified skin pulsed around the limb, tiny arcs of electricity bursting through the outer layer of flesh. The light illuminated the chamber with a soft blue glow. Lozzan shook her head at him, "Just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I try.", he grinned, before staring around the chamber. He stopped for a moment, then pointed at the north wall, "Look. There."

Lozzan spun her torchlight across to where he was pointed. The stone appeared to have been purposefully burnt, ash covering the stone. There were marks in the ash, Aurebesh letters. She knelt, tracing the letters carefully. "Beware all who enter, for here lies the Tomb of Darth Taragatus. All who enter shall burn."

Caloc stared at the ash for a minute, then looked up at her, "So which tunnel do you think we should use?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Oxygen masks were incredibly uncomfortable. Stass scratched the mask's edges, trying to rid herself of the discomfort. The only light came from the illuminator rods along the wall. The new section of tunnel would be around the next bend, if the rough map was anything to go by.

She looked over at her partner and gestured forward, "I can't sense anything ahead, let's get moving."

Tia nodded. "The workers shouldn't be in this area at the moment. The Worker's Union quarantined this zone for now. But they warned us to figure this out as quickly as possible, or they would be forced to take action."

"Understood.", she stared up at the tunnel ceiling, "Have you noticed the tunnels?"

He followed her gaze to the slick walls. "That they seem to be made by the worms themselves? I had. What do you make of it?"

She ran her hand across the stone again, feeling the lumps and crevices. "It would seem that the Devaronian harvesters use the worm's original tunnels. It means the farmers have no control over which area of the Forgotten Lands they go. There must be a reason. I assume it has something to do with the gas pockets in this area."

"A good estimate.", Tia nodded, kneeling beside a small crack in the wall. "That means the teams never wanted to find whatever the worms are reacting to. It was just… random."

The next tunnel turned to the left, and they hurried towards bend. The illuminator rods flickered suddenly, the ground vibrating beneath them. Stass reached out with the Force. A massive worm was cutting through the rock two hundred metres below. She could see the creature in her minds eye. There were two more heading towards the other worm. It seemed they would collide at any second.

"There seems to be an alpha battle happening below.", she told Tia.

An Alpha hunt happened once a year in primal animal packs. The largest creatures would battle each other, ambushing and waging war against each other. They were mostly battles for superiority. Whoever won would be the Alpha primate for the next year.

"So now what?", her companion asked, "Do we continue, or do we wait?"

"Either one is dangerous.", Stass mused. "Let us continue."

* * *

Rocks ground past one another. They rumbled down the slope, crackling against each other before they slashed into the water below. Just above the water was a Rann nest, the long strings of webbing spread across the caverns. The spider's themselves were currently sleeping, curled up in the centre of the nest. There were a few scouts on the outskirts, staring at the inky blackness.

Lozzan knelt at the edge of the rocks, studying the rockslide. She pointed to the north, across the web. "The Kyber vein is that way. I can sense the tomb is that way as well. But it appears impassable."

"There is a way.", Caloc's eyes narrowed. "Aayla has been teaching me lately. She tried to show me that what stands in the way, becomes the way."

"I remember that lesson.", Lozzan nodded. "Jaro Tapal drilled that into our heads during my clan years. It gets hard to forget. What are you thinking?"

He pointed at the nest. "Save for a few sentries critters, we can easily bypass most of the Rann spiders. We just need to go underneath, and watch where we swing. Easy."

"Your idea of easy needs some work, Caloc.", she chuckled, "But let's give your way a try."

**Hello there. I finally got some free time to work on this story. I have really good news for those who are following my work. The Storms of Arratak (my next full length book) is nearly complete. I hope to begin putting it up soon after this one is finished. I have about five- seven more chapters for this one planned out, it just depends on how much free time I get. Trust me, it is worth the wait. A full blurb will be given with the final chapter.**

**Sincerely, Phillip**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I'm regretting this already.", Lozzan hissed as they neared the edge of the nest, "They are going to wake up."

Caloc rolled his eye. "Good thing we know animal kinship, correct? Let's use it to keep these things calm."

He used the Force to leap forward, vaulting about a third of the distance. Grabbing a strand of web as he fell, flipping around the line until his feet rested on it. Balancing precariously, he walked across the web and grabbed a stalactite near the ceiling. He knew there had to be a long central strand near him, and he stared down to find it. It was nearly impossible to find, as it was only a few millimetres thicker than the other strands. Leaping across the next few strands, he scrambled onto the rock ledge across the river. Turning, he stretched out a hand and lifted Budiku over the chamber.

"Come on!", he hissed out at his companion, "Get to the ledge and I can lift you across."

"Are you sure that you will be strong enough?", Lozzan hissed back, "You are still weak, remember?"

"I remember.", he rolled his eyes, "Just trust that I know my own strength."

She ran towards the ledge and leapt, flying over the web. She hadn't made it too far across before the spider's suddenly tensed beneath her. She froze in mid-air, and Caloc stretched out his hands, catching her immediately. The largest spider of the group stared around, the thin hairs of his legs rustling about as he sensed the air. His eyes flickered about, the large mandibles skittering back and forth. Finally, he rested again, his legs curling up once more.

Caloc pulled in with his fingers, and she slid through the air towards the final ledge. Her feet were only a few millimetres of the edge when she felt it. A sudden shift in Caloc's control.

"Focus.", she cautioned, repeating the main phrase Tia had taught her, "Keep your mind on the Force. Repeat with me. _I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me._"

"That is not how it goes!", Caloc grunted out. There were beads of sweat on his brow. "The Guardian's Mantra is:

_The Force is with me. And I am one with the Force. And I fear nothing, because all is as the Force wills it to be._

Come on. We learnt that with Tra Saa."

Lozzan rolled her eyes. She paid attention to that class. Ever since Tra had rescued her from a rather unfortunate attack in the Temple, she and Master Saa had been meditating together once a week. They would meet in the main mediation garden and spend an hour probing through the mysteries of the Force.

Finally, her feet touched the rock ledge. Caloc slumped to the ground and let out a loud sigh. As soon as he did, a loud skittering could be heard. Both Jedi slowly looked up to see the entire web of Rann were staring at them, mandibles clicking back and forth.

"Run?", she asked.

Caloc nodded, "I think that would be prudent."

* * *

Stass crawled through the tiny crack in the wall. The last few minutes had been troublesome. She and Tia had decided to continue through the territory fight of the Trakulis Oralis. It had been… interesting. Ducking and weaving between two massive, and unfortunately toothed, worms during a grudge match had been more exercise that she had gotten in years. Her robes were thick with sweat, and she had lost her commlink. Eventually, the two Jedi had made their way through a tiny crack in the wall to leave the fight. Now, her training kicked in again, and she stared around the cavern she had stumbled into.

The cavern was thin, and long. A huge waterfall crashed into a rushing stream next to her. Rocks peaked out of the rushing white rapids, and she frowned. There seemed to be some kind of bioluminescent critters on the ceiling, sending a slightly red glow around the room.

Tia appeared at her side, one of his horns cracked and the other missing about an inch of bone, "Where are we?"

"This river seems to originate near the surface.", Stass answered. "Clean air is getting down here. But… can you sense it?"

"I can.", the Chagrian answered, closing his eyes. "The Dark Side. Downstream. But how is it down here?"

Stass frowned, "I have a feeling our students may know the answer to that."

* * *

**Again, a shorter chapter, but I felt it was pretty cool to bring in the Guardians mantra used by Chirrut and Baze (Rouge One). **

**I tried to bring a few more questions into this chapter. How is Caloc's recovery really going? Should he be exerting himself? What is the Dark Side doing of Devaron? And where is the Kyber Vein? **

**Finally, on a personal note, I am wanting suggestions on which Legends characters I should bring into my next book. I'm already adding in Fay and looking more into Bultar Swan.  
From, Phillip.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Aaauuugggghhhhh."

"That is quite a noise you're making.", Lozzan afforded Caloc a weak smile as they sprinted down the tunnel. The spiders were close behind, their skittering echoing off the walls. The rocky corridor was a bit narrow, but they were still able to run side by side. Budiku ran ahead, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Her companion stared at her, the look in his eyes begging her to wither. "Would you prefer to fight them?"

"Once the tunnel narrows, we can take them one at a time.", Lozzan pointed ahead, to where a huge rock was leaning against the opening. "We can end this quickly."

"Have you seen how many spiders are following us?", Caloc asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. She wanted to attack an entire nestful of Rann spiders? Was she insane?

Budiku growled beside him, and shuddered, his coat shimmering around him.

Caloc stared at the thinning tunnel and shook his head. "You're thinking of taking on soldiers. These are Rann. They can crawl on walls. That means at least five at a time, but probably closer to eight or ten if they compress their bodies."

"Well, do you have a better idea?", she asked.

He thought for a minute. Several options were ahead of them. They could wait until they were in a larger cavern, using the space to spread the spiders out. They could allow the spiders to come through the narrow gap, but that was nearly impossible. There was the option of delaying the creatures: using one of them as bait while the other took out as many as they could. That seemed like the best option.

"We could try a…", he started, then suddenly fell to his knees.

"_No, Caloc._", a voice appeared in his head, "_Focus the Force. See the weak points in the stone."_

Red lines filled his view, and he let out quiet whisper. "What is this?"

"Caloc?", he heard a loud humming and a blur of blue appeared nearby. Lozzan stepped between him and the spiders skittering across the walls towards them. "What's going on? Are you mumbling to yourself?"

"The lines…", he stuttered, the words flickering from incoherent to understandable, "Red… all I see is red… the lines… the lines."

Lozzan shook her head, turning her attention back to the Rann. Clearly, Caloc was unhinged, going mad. The spiders were nearly here, and she was prepared to take down as many as she could. The blade glowed across the cave walls. Budiku growled loudly, circling in front of his master protectively. But suddenly, the entire wall crumbled before her, blocking the tunnel perfectly. She spun and found Caloc standing again, his fist punching the wall.

"Was that you?", she stared at the cracks beneath the boy's fist. "What did you just do? What was that?"

Caloc blinked her. his eyes were still unsteady, and a bit glazed over, but he gave her a weak smile. "I honestly have no idea. I heard a voice, but then I found it. The weak point. The capstone. The shatterpoint. I found it."

Lozzan shook her head. "You good to keep moving? Those Rann can probably get through."

He took a deep breath and nodded weakly, "I'm ready to go. Let's get to see what this disturbance I keep feeling it is."

The tunnel opened up on a ledge overlooking a massive monument below the stone. Eight huge stone columns expanded from ceiling to floor, decorated with ancient symbols of the Old Tongue. A massive dragonish figure curled around the columns. Thick, golden chains, with brown roots curling down the links, secured a massive golden crypt that hung above the ominous drop. Engraved in the ceiling was a huge symbol of the Sith Empire. Caloc peered down the sleek rock. A river flowed beneath them, pointed rocks slipping through the surface. There was a huge rockpile in the centre of the ground level, but it seemed to be moving.

"Why is that rockpile moving?", Lozzan asked, pointing down at the floor.

Caloc reached into his belt and pulled out a flash flare, dropping it over the edge. The two padawan's watched as it slowly fell, flipping end over end, until it landed next to the pile. Caloc breathed in a sharp breath.

"Those aren't rocks.", he groaned, "Those are Trakulis Oralis. A huge, massive, entirely unexpected pile of crawler worms."

"Crawler worms?", Lozzan growled. "We need to avoid those."

"Really?", Caloc stared at her. "Y'think?"

A low growl interrupted them. They stared down at the anooba, who was glaring back the way they had come. Lozzan gripped her lightsaber tightly, and was about to flick the activator switch when Caloc's hand stopped her.

"We can't.", he growled, "We need to fall back. Get to the crypt."

Lozzan gestured towards the huge hanging tomb in disbelief, "That is a Sith burial chamber, Caloc. Do you really want to get closer to this Darth Slaith?"

"I am curious as to who Slaith is.", Caloc answered. He pointed to the chains supporting the burial chamber. "More importantly, those are old, and I don't trust them to hold our weight. We need to throw each other."

"Throw each other?", Lozzan asked.

A skitter of stone interrupted her as the first Rann squeezed through the cracked in the rocks. Immediately, Budiku rushed forward and bit forcefully down between the head and abdomen. The crack of bones filled their ears and the spider went limp. The anooba dropped the creature and began pawing at his tongue. He started running in circles and then leapt over the cliff.

Caloc stretched out to catch him with the Force, and pushed him across the cavern until the anooba was standing on the crypt. "Get over there. I'll push you."

"Push me?", she asked.

"Go over there. Run over here. Jump off, and I'll give you a boost.", Caloc pointed to the blocked passage, "Once you're across, I'll jump, and you can pull me across."

"Understood.", Lozzan jogged back to the passage. She stretched for a second and then sprinted towards the ledge. She leapt, and felt the Force shove her across the gap. Her feet hit the golden metal and rolled to absorb the impact. She turned and nodded at her friend, gesturing for him jump. He ran forward and leapt, trusting himself to her grasp. She grabbed him, dragging him across the air until he too was on the crypt.

He sat up, staring around him. The crypt had a massive statue in it, most likely a carbonite reconstruction of the Sith in question. It was a tradition of many Sith acolytes. They would freeze the body in carbonite, carving it into the likeness of the corpse. They would then place items of value to the Sith inside the crypt, burying it and then sacrificing themselves so that no one could ever find it. Only a small group would remain with the knowledge, leaving clues around the galaxy to be tracked.

The artefacts inside were an interest to a secret society within the University of Bar'leth. Rouge archaeologists would hunt across the galaxy for these clues, and sell the objects inside the crypts for millions of credits.

"Caloc.", Lozzan called to him, dragging his attention from his memories. He turned, and found her kneeling next to the head of the massive carbonite figure. He hurried over to her. A massive stone Abednedo stared up through the clear glass of the crypt.

There was a huge lightsaber lying across his chest, and a holocron sat calmly on his chest.

"The mask.", Caloc muttered.

"What?", Lozzan asked.

He gestured at the stone carving in the ceiling. "During this era of the Sith empire, most of the Sith wore combat masks. This man would usually wear one to. But it isn't here."

He shifted his gaze. A large hole was just visible beneath the figure's head, and through that, was the pile of sleeping crawler worms. Of course, right on top was the mask he was looking for.


	13. Chapter 13

"That's the mask, isn't it?", Lozano couldn't believe what she was seeing. It seemed to her the whoever controlled fate in the galaxy had a certain bone to pick with Caloc. Nothing went right around him.

"That's right.", He nodded, still staring over the edge at the ancient artefact.

She considered that for a moment. She, more than anyone, knew the aura that Sith artefacts held. They seemed to hold onto the dark side long past the time that their owners passed. "If that mask has any power left, it could potentially corrupt the worms."

"It already has.", Caloc answered. "See how they are pile up around it. The mask landed on a rock spire. The worms piled up around it to protect it from other creatures..."

A loud hiss interrupted him, and they turned to see the Rann not far away.

"Like those.", he finished.

She frowned disapprovingly in their direction. They didn't seem to care, hissing louder. "They seem angry."

"How would you feel if a free lunch just got up and walked away?", Caloc retorted. "Those worms have piled up over maybe forty meters high."

He stuck out his right hand, pointing at one of the nearby rocks, then tracing across to another on the far side of the cavern.

Her concern piqued, "Are you sure that you are feeling alright, Caloc? What happened in that tunnel..."

"...is over now.", he brushed her concern aside, "We need to help those people above. The village can't go on like this. We need to get that mask back, not worry about me."

She pulled back. His words stung a bit. She walked over to the other side of the crypt, when a foil-wrapped package hit her in the back of the head. She picked it up, surprised by the warmth emanating from inside. Quizzically, she held it up, sniffing it.

"You need to eat, regain your strength.", Caloc said from the other side of the crypt. "I'll try to formulate a way down there."

He and Budiku moved to the other side of the crypt, sitting down and hanging his legs over the side. It seemed... peaceful here. Even with the chaos below. He unwrapped his own foil package. As the aromatic spices filled the air, he carefully placed it on the ground and pulled out a thin slicer cord and parted the meaty wrap in two, pushing the other half to his furball companion. Budiku gently took it in his mouth, carefully slid down onto his front paws, and dug in. Caloc finally picked up his half of the meal, and obeyed his rumbling stomach, chewing greedily at the tasty tasteful meat, he savored it for a minute, then looked back down at the sight below.

It was not good. From everything he had read, the worms were highly territorial, they could crush even a Wookiee without trying, and could jump about three storeys by using their body like a spring. Luckily, the crypt was hanging about four storeys up. He let his gaze wander for a minute, up the chains until he stopped. There was a ledge not far from the chain on his left, snaking around the sheer wall. It seemed to have a glow around it, something... natural. Was it daylight? He couldn't really tell, but it looked like it. But if the worms here were better used to limited oxygen, daylight need to be filtered through a... a... ray shield? Otherwise these worms would be petrified by over exposure.

"Lozzan.", he called, "I have a way to get the mask and I have a way out too. You probably won't like it."

* * *

"Beware travellers.", Stass read carefully the inscription in the stone passageway, "This is the tomb of Slaith the conqueror, he would united the five magma tribes of Cole, he who fought on Serreno, he who tamed the...'.", she paused and looked up at Tia, "It goes on like that for a while. Very boring."

"Does it say exactly where we are?", Tia asked, exasperated.

"You don't know where we are?", Stass gestured around the cavern, "Start with underground."

It should have been obvious. They were out of the worm tunnels and had entered a huge airy space, stalagmites and glowing crystals covering the walls. There was a waterfall dropping over a few rocks and into a large lake. A huge crack in the ground dropped about six metres to a massive vein of gleaming, gorgeous green kyber. She bent down, studying the ground. Strangely, the worms had avoided this area completely. There were a few amphibious frogs and mammals down here, and fish were also visible. The only thing that seemed out of place in the serene setting was the immense Black stone columns and statues leading up to a corridor cut through the stone. This was covered in the old tongue, which Stass was only now deciphering.

Tiac groaned loudly, his lekku shaking violently, "I know where we are. The kyber vein is a little obvious. What I meant was; why is there a Sith tomb here?"

"Perhaps he heard this was a great holiday destination for a Sith.", she gave him a withering look, "Who knows? I'm betting it's just an old battleground he was buried on after his defeat."

She stood up. The inscriptions were just going on about Slaith's accomplishments, none of them actually interesting, followed by a warning to any who disturbed the artefacts inside the tomb. She turned back to the crashing waterfall and frowned. There was something about the red stone around the water that made her uneasy.

Well.", Tia stared at the thin entrance. "Shall we get going?"

* * *

**New Chapter is up. Not long to go now. **

**For those wondering, Slaith is not hidden in legends anywhere, but he will have a pivotal role in future stories, and even in future chapters. **

**Other that that, I hope you are all going well. **

**Signed, **

**Phillip**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was amazing what you could research and learn when you were confined to the Temple on Coruscant. Sure, his Master left him lesson plans to go over the political structure of the Republic, planetary details and data on creatures that could pose a threat, but he also took the time to learn more about Menach. His homeworld had a complex history. Two things remained the same though. The metal and the medicine.

The gladiatorial weapons, forged from minerals mined near the molten core, had a complex procedure that hardened them to be nearly impenetrable. It was an arduous process, with extremely skilled craftsmen learning the art from a young age. Each piece was etched differently, personally marked by the craftsman. The weapons were then distributed to the people, people who had once been attacked by the army of Sith. They were prepared.

Knowing about his fascination with these weapons, Aayla, who had been training him for a time, had given him a set of Menachi throwing knives and a small oval shield that could clip to his now battered gauntlet. He had been practicing with it for a while, duelling with Aayla daily.

Now he pulled the shield out of his satchel and placed it on the ground before him, flipping it so the face rested on the casket below. He noticed Lozzan staring at the small plate of curved metal quizzically.

"I want to try a scoop job."

She stared at him, then back down at the shield. "Usually a scoop job means that we use a person."

It did. Jedi had created the 'scoop job' as a manoeuvre to quickly grab anything below them without touching the ground. It was useful for places that used pressure sensitive sheeting on the floor. The Jedi would lower their partner down until they hovered above the item and then pull them back. It was simple and quick. An easy trick to pull without extra equipment. But Caloc knew that both he and Lozzan were exhausted, and he wanted to avoid being dropped suddenly into the pile of sleeping worms.

He kept this to himself, instead telling her that he wanted someone in reserve in case the Raan made their way across the rockslide. "I just want someone to watch your back."

"My back?", her eyebrow raised, "Why my back?"

The red lines, he wanted to say. He kept seeing them, flashing across his vision. But he did not understand them. "I'm not confident that I can hold it steady enough. I want you to do it. Quickly. Budiku and I will be right next to you. You can bleed off of me, if it helps."

She nodded slowly, residing herself to the task. She dropped a hydro-nutrition ball in her mouth, swallowing the liquid quickly. Then she positioned herself before the edge. Caloc stood behind her, unclipping his lightsabre from his belt. She stretched out her hand, pulling the shield till it hovered before her.

"One three?", he asked.

"One.", she closed her eyes, picturing the cavern around her. The Force buzzed around her like echolocation, showing her every stalagmite and stalactite that surrounded her.

"Two.", Caloc grabbed one of the small smoke cubes from his pouch and fingered it. Hopefully he wouldn't need to use it, but his brain was buzzing.

"Thre…!", the word was burst from her lips, but she stopped when she heard the lightsabre crack to life. "Is everything okay back there?"

"Get the mask!", Caloc yelled. "I got this."

She began to lower the shield towards the mask, gritting her teeth to block out the sounds of combat in the background.

* * *

Stass ran across the wall, anchoring herself with the Force so that she wouldn't fall. Each footfall fell on a tiny rivet in the stone. A river crashed around below her, slicing past razor rocks that sliced up above. She dropped onto the other side of the ravine, her boots landing hard on the stone. Tia had gone first, and she looked over at him.

He was standing nearby, staring into the cave beyond. She followed his gaze, and her jaw dropped. A huge cathedral, the rock walls honeycombed with holes dug into the stone. Unlike those she had seen in the caves, these were man-made, carved out with tools and hands. A dozen or so skeletons were also embedded in the stone, people literally sunk into the ground beneath. Metallic spheres sat around, and a wall full of lanterns nearby, glowing with red, purple and green flames.

"Where are we?", Tia asked.

Stass swallowed back her feelings, trying not to retch as she took in the purpose of this place. "This was the acolytes tomb."

"What?"

"It was part of the training package I gave Caloc during that business on Takodana.", she replied, "I had him look through a brief history of Sith architecture. A Sith Tomb is constructed by the acolytes that follow them. Once they complete the tomb, they construct passageways and tests to reach it. I think we have found the front entrance, which means that we need to cross through the acolyte's village, where they reside until death."

"Sounds gruesome.", Tia frowned, "I wasn't much of a history student. I was focussed more on a combative and diplomatic path by my Master."

"Tress focussed me on as many paths as he could.", she said. She smiled as she remembered her master, "He thought that if I had as many different avenues to draw from, I could grow into the best Jedi I was able to."

A loud metallic roar of metal on metal came from their left, and a huge statue of an Abednedo cracked from the wall. Tia stumbled away from the monstrosity. "What the?"

"Probably one of the traps.", Stass answered, "I guess that they went for the old droid guardian gag. That is old school. Most would use a gravity post or a weak floor these days. Slaith must be one of the older Sith."

The android turned towards them, readying the huge fists to attack.

"Do you know this kind of trap?", Tia asked, drawing his lightsabre. The sapphire blade glowed in the dim light of the cave.

She nodded at him, gesturing to the statue's neck. "If I'm right, the stitch will be hidden near the back of their neck."

"Let's go, then.", he replied, "I want to see how Lozzan is going chained to your padawan."

"Caloc might be slowing Lozzan down, Tia", she laughed as she ignited her own blade, "but I can assure you, he will protect her with his life."

* * *

**How are we all? Happy August**

**If you can guess, I have been playing Jedi: Fallen Order a lot to try and get the feel of this story. However, I was recently reminded that my writing had gotten a little... lackluster. I hope that this is a bit more like what you have seen before. **

**I want to properly apologize for letting the standards slip on my work. It probably won't be next week, but I am trying to get the final few chapters of the next book typed out. Then there is editing and finally, publishing. There will still be time before I am able to drop it on this site. Don't hesitate to ask any questions or drop a comment. **

**Signed, **

**Phillip.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The caves of Devaron went deep, and they crisscrossed over each other a thousand times. Some were small and damp, others wide and airy. Still more were full of parasites and beasts that could either kill on sight or slowly grind them into dust with shredded teeth. As Stass and Tia made their way through the cavernous confines, they had to constantly change course. It was time consuming. Time they didn't have. So, when she heard a loud _crazz_ echo through the caverns, she took her lightsabre and began to slice her own way through the stone. The caves connected again, and this time she saw light at the end of the tunnel. A pale orb. Racing towards it, they came to a hole in the roof of a cavern, where a huge sarcophagus hung from giant chains embedded in the stone. Down below, she could see Lozzan reaching down to scoop up something on one of her padawan's shields. The shield scooped up a mask, and she had the vague impression of a dark mask. Behind Lozzan, her padawan's blade flashed back and forth, deflecting blaster bolts that spat and hissed out of the darkness. She turned to Tia, gesturing to the chains, and he nodded. It was time to help their apprentices.

* * *

Lozzan yelled in excitement as the mask was finally on the shield. Suddenly, the pile of _Trakulis Oralis_ moved. Each worm crawled against each other as they turned their strange mouths to stare up at her. Her mouth went dry, and she fumbled with her grip on the shield. The Force failed her, and the mask slipped from her grasp. It fell back into the writhing pile of worms and was lost from view.

A loud cry filled her ears and she covered them. Turning, she saw Caloc grab at his shoulder. His lightsaber still spun around and deflected the offending blaster bolts. "Did you get it?"

"Not exactly!", she winced back, leaning over the side to look at the writhing pile below. "I dropped it."

"You dropped it?", he spun and spun the lightsaber around his back to deflect another bolt. He started to run towards her, when another blaster bolt suddenly flashed across the cavern and slashed into the padawan's back, right above his hip. He stumbled, dropping the lightsaber that sparked across the golden surface of the crypt. Then his ankle twist on nothing and he fell, sliding across the slick surface of the sarcophagus, and into the void or ravenous crawler worms below.

* * *

Stass stared as her padawan fell. She watched as he disappeared into the pile of beasts below and gasped as she watched them crush stone beneath their bodies. One of the large beasts slammed into another and went sprawling, sending the pile back to the ground. The noise of failing worms and crushed rock grinding together filled the air, and she knew that her padawan was gone. A fury suddenly filled her, and she launched herself at the shadowy form hidden in the dark. Her blade slashed forward, and suddenly illuminated the space. Standing there was a diminutive Talpini, white fur standing up awkwardly from around her moon-like head. The massive RK0 sniper rifle in his hands swung around to meet her, and she slashed it in twain. The two pieces fell to the floor, clattering on the rock. He raised his hand immediately, but she wasn't in the mood for surrender.

Her lightsaber rose and fell in a single, determined arc, ready to kill this man immediately. But a blue blade suddenly stopped her, and she turned to see Tia blocking her.

"We are not the ones to decide who lives and who dies, Stass."

She shoved him aside, "He killed my padawan. My friend. I will not let him get away with this."

"Then don't let him join the Living Force.", the Chagrian's voice was oddly calm, and he lowered his weapon. Throwing her a set of stun cuffs, he nodded his chin at the man, "Cuff him and take him before the Council. They shall decide his fate, not your vengeance."

It was what they had all been taught. It was what Stass knew in her mind, in her heart. But something deeper called out that it was wrong, that her padawan need justice. She knew that feeling, that voice. It had been there when Keltr had died, when he had been cut down and his weapon stolen. It had been there when she had felt his crystal, dark and corrupted, on Menach once more.

She marched forward and snapped the cuffs on the small man, dragging him to his feet, then she waved a hand before his face, "You can go to sleep now."

The Force was behind those words, and the man's eyes rolled back into his head as he slumped against the rocks again.

A hand fell on her shoulder, and she turned to find Lozzan behind her, tears streaming down her cheek. Her face was covered in dust, and the tears traced dirty, brown lines down them. She pulled the girl into an embrace, wrapping her tightly in her arms. But she could still hear the girl whisper over and over again, the same words on repeat. "This is my fault, Stass. My fault."

Finally, the Tholothian released the padawan, who slumped to her knees. Stass knelt beside her, and through eyes that threatened to leak as well, studied Lozzan carefully. "This is not your fault, Lozzan. Caloc was a good student. He died as a Jedi."

"He died defending you.", Tia joined in. He too knelt beside Lozzan, and placed his blued hand on her shoulder, drawing her into his chest. "You were his friend. He knew that if he attacked the sniper, you would be shot, so he stayed there, defending you. He was there because he felt the Force better than I knew, and fought despite a hopeless situation. I wish him good fortune in the Living Force."

"I shall return to the Temple.", Stass stood on unsteady legs. Legs that threatened to give way at any moment. "I shall carve a totem for my padawan as a way to remember him, then I will inform the Council. Take Lozzan back to the Temple of Eedit, Tia. She will need rest."

Tia nodded, then turned over to the Talpini. "I shall take him too. For trial."

"For trial.", Stass echoed.

* * *

**The end. Caloc is dead. Thank you all for reading and i hope you have a lovely September. **

**Just kidding. Keep reading.**

* * *

Caloc regain consciousness a second before he hit the ground. He acted on instinct, and pushing out to push himself back up, to levitate himself with the Force. It was not something he was good at, and he slammed hard into the ground. He looked around. Smooth stone walls surrounded him. The air was kind of thin, and he realised that he must not be near the huge airshaft from earlier. He looked up, and saw a writhing hoard of globules, greasy skin and huge toothy maws slashing across the hole that gap above him. He was in an air pocket, he realised. A natural formation in the bed rock that meant he was now below the pile of beasts above him. He reached out and felt the walls. Too slick to climb out of. He could try appealing to the beast above with the Force, but they had been soaking in the dark side remains for too long, and were probably somewhat immune to him.

A voice in the darkness came from his left. It was quiet and indiscernible, but he still heard the whispers. A dark, male voice, deep and melodic, called to him. Another turn and he found himself staring at the mask of Slaith. The deep voice was louder now, and he made out a few words. Leaning in closer, he heard more.

"…_get you out of here, boy. Just put on the mask. Let my power flow through you. Let us become one."_

Caloc laughed. It seemed insane. A talking mask? That was ridiculous.

Another voice joined the mask's strange tones.

"_The boy can choose what to do for himself, Slaith, but I have already shown him the way out of here. He is far to intelligent to join with you."_

The mask responded to the voice with an alien hiss, _"He will join me or he will die down here! There is no debate. My power is the only way for him to survive."_

"_I disagree. My friend here can utilise the shatterpoint."_

"_A myth. A legend that not even the Jedi have mastered."_

Caloc pushed both voices from his mind, but he could still feel the presences. The masks was the remaining essence of the now dead Slaith. He didn't know who the other belong to, but he had heard rumours of the shatter point. It was the ability that showed a Jedi the weakest link. As he had stated earlier with Lozzan, it was taught by the Jedi teachers during their youngling years. But this was something else. What had they meant by_ not mastered by the Jedi_?

He closed his eyes, gave a silent prayer that his idea wouldn't kill him, then opened himself to the Force. Something in his heart, something that had always been there, hurt, then numbed. It would be temporarily unable to hinder him, and he was thankful. He opened his mind again, letting the two voices flow through his mind and then out. Then he opened his eyelids and gasped. There were red lines, faint and flickering, everywhere. Wherever he looked, they darted across his vision. He focussed on the nearest rock, and the lines solidified into a single shape, a single circle, then a point. Reaching down, he tapped that point with his finger. The rock, which had been about the sive of a joopa, shattered to dust.

A feeling that could only be described as disturbed crept upon Caloc, but he knew what he had to do. Looking up, he focussed on the Trakulis above him. The shape emerge, writhing still, but the red lines spun and blurred until they became a single line, then a star of lines again, then back to a point. But the point was not on the pile of worms. It was above them. Through the writhing pile, he saw the lines focus in on a stalactite hanging from the ceiling above. It was only visible half the time, when the thick greasy bodies parted for a split second. Caloc bent down and picked up another stone. This was smaller than the one he had shattered, shaped more like an arrowhead than a joopa. He held it with the Force and counted.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

A niggle at the base of his skull alerted him that the Force was guiding him, and he pushed the stone up. It snuck through the tiniest gap in the worms, then struck the stalactite right where the shatterpoint had to be. For a moment nothing happened. Then the ground quaked, and all hell broke loose.

* * *

**That is the end of this chapter. **

**I hope the waits aren't boring you too much. I'm hoping to put a random chapter up as a spoiler for my next book (pre-editing) soon, but I'll see how I go. Good news, i am (finally) getting some holidays soon, and will hopefully be able to finish the Storms of Arratak in that time. **

**Full disclaimer: I am on the fence about whether or not to split the book into two separate forty chapter novels, or change it to be a single sixty-ish chapter novel. I'll see how the ending works out. Put your thoughts in the comments.**

**One the bright side, for those who enjoyed The Clone Wars TV series, The Storms of Arratak is the final book before we enter that period of time. Expect some crazy shenanigans, a few unforeseen cameos and more in that book, but for now, stay tuned for the next chapter of Finally Free. (Second last one.)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Medicine was difficult science, Luminara Unduli thought as she looked down at the almost corpse-like body before her. Only the tiny movements of her patient's chest told her that he was alive, and he should not have been able to. How he continued to cycle the oxygen through his battered and bruised form remained a mystery. She spun the scalpel between her fingers as she considered the figure, then moved the impossibly sharp blade to make an incision. She paused. Looking up, she stared into the 2-B1 Medical droid's eyes. Ripper, she hadn't bothered to ask why the droid was referred by that name, nodded at her, and she took a breath before gently plunging the blade beneath the skin. The cut was clean, and blood pooled up immediately. Luminara glanced over at the scanning monitors and watched for the small shard of stone that was lodged into the muscle she had just sliced into.

Honestly, Luminara despised surgery. She had been trained in medical procedures, but that was years ago, under the constant guide of Rig Nema and Halais Monroe. Of course she still had the knowledge, as that was a requirement for a Consular of her stature. The Mirian liked to think that she could handle anything, but surgery was... unusual. It required a steady hand and a precise touch. While she had both of those in almost every circumstance she faced, this idea of holding someone's life in her hands was rather unsettling. A single cut could be the difference between saving her patient, and permanently crippling him. It made her nervous. It made her hands shake when she focussed on it for too long. Shaking hands and nerves were things she could not allow. She was the only Jedi in the Devaronian Temple available for surgery. She and Barris, her padawan of three years, had landed two days ago. For the past day and a half, she had been in the surgical suite with Ripper and Zatos, a local human doctor who was trusted by the Jedi.

For the past day and a half, they had been struggling to save Caloc Tiac's life.

* * *

Barris watched through the glass, staring in the surgical suite and watching her Master hard at work. The older Mirian used her tools to reach into her current patient's chest and removed what appeared to be a diamond-shaped shard of grey, granite-like stone. She placed it on the tray beside her, grabbed a clean rag to wipe away even more blood, and then went back in to try and find another shard, or to patch up the kid's arteries. Or a thousand other tasks that needed to be done so that Caloc could live.

A trio of footfalls echoed around the corridor behind her, and she turned to see Stass Allie walking towards her, followed by the Temple's scribes woman, Ta. The Tholothian, who looked a lot better after the shower and medical scan she had been forced to have, was talking with the young scribe, both enwrapped in the conversation. The third set of footfalls tailed them, a little behind. They belonged to the last person Barris would have expected to see here. Then she amended the thought. They belonged to the last person she would've expected to see here, at least until recently, when she had seen Lozzan Karen pushing the hover-gurney into the surgical suite, Caloc's crumpled body on top of it.

Somehow, Barris found herself able to be mad at all three. Ta had sent the Jedi in. Stass had led the team. Lozzan had apparently been present when they had found the huge cavern. She turned away from the window and stalked over to the Tholothian. Up close, Stass looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes were sunken. Her tendrils were limp. Her headdress had a long, thin crack in it, and she held a half-empty cup of kaff in a weak grip. But Barris didn't care. It was impolite for a padawan to berate a Master, but she grit her teeth, folded her arms and sternly asked, "What happened?"

"I honestly don't know how the boy is alive.", Stass stared through the glass at her charge. "But I can tell you what I know. The last thing I saw was when Caloc fell off the sarcophagus…"

* * *

Stass scrambled down the vertically slanted stone, her boots struggling to find purchase on the gravelly surface. She was being followed by Tia, who had told Lozzan to look after their capture still back on the ledge. The fall was a lot shorter than it had been about three minutes earlier. Two minutes ago, it had been a writhing mess of Trakulis Oralis, the slimy skin and clicking mandibles making a strange collage of slaughter, dirt and death. A sudden tap had came from above, at the roof of the cavern. The huge cave's ceiling had caved in immediately afterwards, sections of stone the size of a speeder crashing into the pile of worms. The chains holding up the sarcophagus had snapped as one, the massive golden crypt slamming into the ground. But that hadn't been what had killed them. Sunlight followed the stone, fresh oxygen flooding the cavern. Being somewhat oxygen resistant, each of the massive grubs had immediately shrivelled up and died quickly. Alpha predator's underground, the Trakulis Oralis would die above the surface, poisoned by the very thing that kept human's and many aliens alive.

She grabbed her lightsaber and began slashing at the stones, trying her hardest to carve through the thick rock. She could still sense her padawan in her mind. He was down there. A hand landed on her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Stass, you need to take a deep breath. He will be fine. If there is one thing that Caloc is good at, apparently it is going to be surviving.", Tia said. He sounded resigned to the fact, as though complimenting Caloc on simply surviving was physically painful for him.

They set to work, lifting the rocks one by one. Some of them hid worms, most dead, but some still squirming their way towards death. There were also maggots; large, tubular slugs that had red raw skin and large mandibles. Some even hid a few openings to lower tunnels. Each of these were checked profusely. But there was no sign of her padawan.

Until a rather large worm was found. It had been half buried by the sarcophagus. The other half was at least thrice the size around as Stass was high. It could have well been the alpha worm, if she hadn't managed to walk through an Alpha battle not an hour beforehand. Surprisingly, it dipped in the center, an indicator of a space below the large creature. Grunting it with the effort, they used the Force and lifted it aside, and found a space that had been cut off from the oxygen. There, nestled into a ball against the stone, her padawan lay, a rebreather clenched hard in his mouth. His breaths were shallow, and they hurried down to him. There were electrical sparks coming from his left arm, and his skin was a light shade of blue. She carefully cradled him, placing her hand on his chest and with each deep breath she transferred a little of her life essence, hoping to help the kid at least breathe a little stronger.

All the time, she didn't hear herself whispering, almost praying to the Force to help her. To let him survive. But to do that, he still needed help. Needed medicine. They needed to get back to the Temple of Eedit.

* * *

Barris frowned as Stass finished her tale. Almost nothing made sense. There were holes in the tale, and she knew that the Tholothian could sense them also. But right now, it could wait. Caloc was the person she needed to focus on, or at least the one she needed to support the most. She left to brew a fresh pot of kaff. Luminara would be needing it. The doors to the commissary swung open, and Zule Xist walked over. Her face was full of exhaustion and confusion, the look of someone unable to sleep.

"What is wrong, Xist?", she asked her fellow padawan, "Trouble sleeping?"

Zule let out a loud yawn, her hand fluttering over her mouth to somewhat stifle it. "Why is it that every single mission Caloc goes on, he ends up in so much danger that he seems to keep the Order up at night."

That did seem to be true, Barris was forced to admit. But he certainly seemed to come back with amazing stories. Her commlink beeped, and she quickly snatched it up. "What is it?"

"I have done all I can.", Luminara answered. She sounded exhausted, and emotion didn't normally taint her vocal cadence. She had clearly been putting everything into Caloc's recovery. "The patient is going on the next flight to the Temple of Nuut. Hopefully, they can help him better than I can."

"Understood, Master.", Barris answered, "I'll be there as soon as I can to help you move him."

Zule watched her go, then grabbed the cup of kaff she had left behind. She took a tentative sip, then nodded in appreciation. Barris may have been a bit of a stiff, but man could she make a good cup of kaff. Just the right amount of blue milk and spices to really bring out the taste. Her thoughts turned to her friend.

Caloc had been to see her once before in the Jedi Temple. That had been before she had left for the deserts of Tagra Huui to learn where her own Master, Junila, did. She recalled one thing he had said that day, when he had been studying with her in the library. She couldn't remember what the topic had been. But it had sparked a conversation about tranquillity. Or more accurately, it had sparked an argument about the true meaning of a Jedi's tranquillity. They had gone back and forth for about twenty minutes, and then he had stopped the conversation with something that she kept with her from then on.

Hopefully, she would not need to mourn Caloc this day. With any luck, the doctors of Nuut would be able to help him. Being crushed in a cavern with no way out, then nearly suffocating to death would definitely get him the award for the most foolhardy person in the galaxy. Now there was just one more person she had to talk to.

* * *

**Happy October**

**Who is this mysterious person? Why does Zule need to talk to them?**

**Enough questions, right? This is a bit of a mysterious chapter. Luckily, the answers will all be revealed in the next chapter, coming soon. Hopefully in a fortnight, but we will see how life goes. **

**I wanted to take this chapter in a completely different direction from the last few. Seeing the situation through Barris' eyes, through Luminara's eyes, then even briefly through Zule's eyes, was my way of exploring these characters a bit more. Both Luminara and Barris are the epitome of Jedi peacekeepers. I have always thought that this might come from Luminara's background as a medical consular in the Order. **

**Don't worry though. Although they sound bad, Caloc's injuries are actually far better than his Klipton blood replacement surgery. He will be back to good health in time to debut the next book, which will have a release date some time around the holiday season. **

**For now, that is all. **

**From, Phillip.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

There was a saying amongst the Talpini Raiders of the Panseppi Steppes. The ancient people of the lands, set on the northern peninsular of the planet Myspis, had enscribed a list of laws on the wall of a cave. One of those scratched out warning said

_It is better to kill your quarry where they stand. If one is to spare their enemy, then that prisoner and the one who captured him are to be fed to the Anooba._

The meaning behind it was obvious. The Anooba was one of the best trackers, one of the most savage killers, and one of the most relentless hunters. It was obvious that the Talpini across from Zule had heard that saying. His eyes would flicker from her steady stare to the line of drool sliding down the long fur that hung from Budiku's chin. She had brought the Anooba as a way to frighten information out of the man, and it seemed to be working.

So far, she had learned that his name was Nehigh Mir. He was a mercenary, and he had been hired by someone thus far unknown to protect the tomb from anyone except for him employer. Every now and then, the employer would venture down into the caves and study the tomb, before he returned to the surface. Sometimes he left with artefacts, and other times he claimed that knowledge was all that he sought.

But the one thing that Nehigh Mir did not reveal was the name of his employer. She pressed that issue.

"Who was he?", she asked.

"I cannot say!", Nehigh cried out. There was desperation and fear in his voice.

This far into the interrogation, Zule had only brought Budiku as a symbol of what she could release on the Talpini. If he was frightened of his employer though, then she needed to give him more fear to break through.

During her down time in the Coruscanti Temple, Zule had taken to training the Anooba, who officially belonged to Caloc but seemed happy being with every Jedi within the walls. She motioned discretely to the slobbering beast. Immediately, Budiku's ears flattened against his head, and a low growl rumbled from his chest.

The growl lasted only a second.

The sound of clomping teeth repeatedly echoed around the room as Budiku snapped his jaw closer and closer to the Talpini's face. With each clomp, Nehigh's screams got louder and shriller, and his face went from a dark rich cream to a horrific white. After the forth loud clomp, Zule gestured again, and Budiku backed off.

She leant down to the Talpini's level, which was extremely low even of the higher chair they had gotten him. "You control this animal, Nehigh. Do you want him to continue to get closer with those gnashing teeth, or do you think that he could perhaps be persuaded to leave the room entirely?"

"You don't understand, sir.", Nehigh spoke softly, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "If I tell you who he is, he will know. If I tell you what he looks like, he will know. If he knows, I will die. Even the death by a pack of Anooba's would be more gentle that what he could plan for me. You don't know the torturous devices he owns!"

Well, Zule thought, that was interesting. But she needed to tell her Master this. They could decide how to crack Nehigh later.

* * *

Jaz Chappa frowned. He had been studying the data for the past three hours. The large hole that had appeared in the caverns below had completely destroyed the nest of _Trakulis Orelis_. However something far worse had been taken from him as well.

The holographic table chimed rhythmically, and the Kalleran closed his eyes. He felt an overwhelming dread sink into the pit of his stomach. He answered the call. "What can I do for you, Count Dooku?"

"I have heard about a rather distressing situation with our acquisition on Devaron.", the gigantic face of the Count loomed above him, a disapproving scowl on his face, "Who is responsible?"

Jaz flickered across a list of hologram, until he found them. He threw them up to the Count. "These Jedi are responsible, my lord."

The Count frowned as he studied the holograms. "I know these Jedi. That is Tia Sil'o'can. He is definitely formidable, but I doubt that he would be able to bring down an entire cavern. The other is Stass Allie. I have had run ins with her before. What were they investigating?"

"I sent them to stop the worms from attacking our tunnels. It was my understanding that the tomb was hidden and protected."

"It was.", the Count replied, "My Master will be most displeased with this development. Hopefully there will be artefacts that can be recovered."

"Maybe there are, Dooku", Jaz fell back into his chair, "but I wouldn't go near the site for a while. The Jedi have sent both a judicial crew and some sort of Jedi Archaeologist to secure the tomb. They don't want anyone near it."

He casually reached for a mug of kaff and brought it to his lips. He was part way through a gulp of the lukewarm liquid when his throat closed up. He gasped for a minute and clawed at the tubes that fed oxygen to his throat. He gasped, and spun around to see the Count with his hand extended. The fingers were curled into a fist.

"You seem to be unable to grasp the situation, my dear boy.", the man's deep voice echoed around the office, "You are fortunate that the tomb was not entirely destroyed. My Master may allow you to live, if you can tell me one thing."

The Kalleran choked out a reply, but it sounded like a thin gurgle. Again, he tried, and this time he managed to choke out, "What… do you… need?"

"Was there anyone with these Jedi?"

Jaz croaked out, "There… there was."

"Who!", Dooku barked. He released the man, and he collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing.

"Two kids. One had a tattoo across her cheek and the other had a glove on his left arm."

Another voice came across the holographic video. Dooku was replaced by a hooded head. His features were hidden below the cowl, but two thin lips and a crooked chin were barely visible. The man's voice was a rich accent that was deep and somehow felt dark.

"You disappoint me, Jaz Chappa. Feel glad that today my fury has been quelled by my curiosity. You will leave the Forgotten Lands. Travel to Funatude City. There, you will be briefed and prepare for your next assignment."

Bowing as low as he could, Jaz accepted the rare opportunity to see his true employer. "I understand, Lord Sidious."

* * *

**So for those who cannot guess, this is kind of a preview into some future works of mine. After this next book, we will be getting into the CLONE WARS! **

**Good news, tomorrow, I will be releasing a sneak peek of the _Storms of Arratak_, the next book in the series. For now, I hope that is chapter keeps you entertained. Don't forget to review and don't hesitate to ask any questions.**


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